Tag Archives: Marich Pass

Tuesday, 5.11.2013
Today we have a long trip from point A (Marich Pass) to point B (Nakuru). It is interesting to watch how nature, climate and people’s occupation changes along the way. When we pass mountains, agricultural area begins. We see a lot of people on the roadside making and selling charcoal, gathering wood and maize, splitting stones and even welding steel doors. Here we buy bananas, mangoes and passion fruits.

Our car moves uphill very slowly because of damaged fuel filter. In Kitale mechanics successfully replace it and now we drive faster. Roads are also changed, instead of permanent holes now we have more or less comfortable ride. Except those crazy road bumps! In the afternoon we finally make stop for the lunch.

Soon we pass Eldoret that is quite busy town. We are constantly moving uphill reaching 2800 meters height and temperature drops from 24 degrees Celsius in the afternoon to quite chilling sensation when darkness comes. We use GPS to locate equator line. We cross it and enter southern hemisphere again. Unfortunately we cannot stop at that place. This is strange, equator is the coldest place in Africa we have met so far.

Finally we reach Nakuru that is quite big city but very noisy and crowded. We stay overnight in very modest place Care Guest House with prostitutes staying outside. Noise on streets continues all night. Most of our group go for dinner to eat meat and nibble bones.

Monday, 4.11.2013
We have squeezed out (agreed on) 15 minutes of additional sleep from Agnese. The news arrive that a Russian eclipse observer has outpaced all. He had gone 50km in the direction of Sudan and seen the full eclipse phase. We are a little bit envious. Many enthusiasts have arrived for the solar eclipse. We meet a traditionally obese American lady from Dakota. A meter thick layer of snow has fallen in Dakota. Here in Lodwar though, the temperature is 35 degrees Celsium.

After breakfast the first activity is restocking of food. We are looking for a shopping center with a sweet name of Kilimanjaro supermarket. Moving through the bumpy streets of Lodwar we find a humble one-storey building with this vibrant title. Having bought the products we head out. In the streets of Lodwar one can see both modern people dressed in jeans and ones dressed in the traditional tribal costumes. Colorful ethnic palette.

Past the window a semi-desert with few trees is sliding. It seems a person can not live here. But suddenly, in this abstract environment appears a figure, dressed in a cloak, thin legs with a stick and seat under his arm, going somewhere in a direction known only by him. The existence of humans is shown by goat herds. Goats are the main means of living for the people here. They give milk, blood and sometimes meat. How many goats are needed for a family to survive, remains a mystery. The number of goats is a measure of a family’s wealth. Ilgonis reads pieces from the Kulik’s books on Kenya. How to control a donkey. To stop the donkey it should be pulled by the tail, to accelerate should be hit under the tail with prickles. But what are the camels doing here? I did not see that anyone using them. Maybe they are wild?

The people living in this desert earn some money by gathering stones for building and burning charcoal for grill and selling them to city dwellers. For the most part, these desert people live in small huts of branches. In places here called cities, probably the government, builds more serious houses with tin roofs. Will these desert people feel good in those?
One stretch of road is considered to be dangerous. So a guard with a machine gun joins our company for 2000 shillings again.

Our driver has become quite energetic. The car runs jumping on the scary road potholes. Once in the end, we see our suitcases hanging in twines. A little more and they would have been lost. We have come to the accommodation unusually early. Marich pass field studies centre. We have decided for comfort and are renting double rooms. Since there is plenty of time until the darkness we are going on an excursion. We are accompanied by great horde of children and are giving them souvenirs – pencils. The local village. House size around 6 square meters. Arrangement is poor, without a chimney. Only the small children are sleeping with their parents. Big kids get their own house built. We are talking about the local weddings, beer from sausage tree fruits, poligyny (several wives).

Past our accommodation a fast river is flowing. During the day we noticed women rinsing something in the river. This is gold apparently. We try out swimming in the river. The kids are very pleased that such a stout uncle as me goes swimming. River is shallow and the water is rapid. A very refreshing feeling. A beautiful sunset on the river. Dinner and then off to sleep in our beds.

Friday, 1.11.2013
Morning, Kisumu, waking up at Lake Victoria. The technical data of the day: Route Kisumu-Marich Pass, the plan is to spend 3 hours driving, our reality 9h. The distance is around 250-300km. The condition of the road… it’s hard to comment THIS bad road with potholes which is also covered by speed bumps. Even though there are repairworks going on in many places, there are no predictions that anything will seriously change during next 10 years therefore it is not advisable to go by a common car, but rather by an offroad vehicle.

The event’s of the day. We wake up under a sausage tree and walk to look at the bay of the lake Victoria. It is not advisable to swim here as there are parasites which get and start living under the human skin. We leave the campsite at 8:50, then shopping for groceries and beer, searching for a tyre for the car therefore we leave at 11am only.

The route which is long and boring is made ornate only by the life bubbling along the roadside – people who are gathering here always wanting to be together, the small, tiny huts which are not anymore made from sticks’ carcass and clay , but from Marichno aereted concrete bricks, children who always smile and greet us whenever they see us. The area becomes more fertile and when stopping in any place local ladies bring some fruit they want to sell. We would like to buy, but we are just driving and driving. Life through the car’s window and dust since we MUST manage the planned route, otherwise we might arrive late to the place where we will be watching the total solar eclipse. We buy something, however -the only purchase is a long sugarcane which should be peeled and then chewed, and the mouth gets filled by juice as sugarwater. It costs 50 shillings, we buy only half of the cane for 25 shillings, and the length of it reaches over all the saloon of our vehicle.

At the beginning of the day we are driving through Kakamega, we have flown past several possible sightseeing objects, but we manage to catch one – at Webuye village we turn to right and with an advice from the locals arrive at the opposite coast of the valley of Nzoia river. Strong, effervescent, muddy in a bald valley among stones -that’s how it looks.

It doesn’t need too long to look at, in half an hour we have lunch, and our driver Karioki tells about the leaves of Manuakou tree. We notice the tree because of its strange fruits, similar to sweet peppers, but the bitter tea is made from leaves only and it has helped against malaria in ancient times. But the young people nowadays are not using it anymore. The meadow and trees around are full of sounds, insects and birds are making all kinds of sounds.

The big value of Kenya are its people. Kind, very, very kind, with a serious attitude and smiling, happy. On our way, whenever it’s possible they try to start a conversation, shake hands, especially children are trying to touch us for whom our white or maybe colourless skin looks a miracle.

Further our route goes through Kitale to Marich Pass, and along the setting of darkness in the saloon of the car come sharper feelings of potholes and lively conversations. Ilgonis tells about the Solar eclipse. If you would like to know what exactly, you should find out the answers to the following questions:
– how many times the Sun is bigger than the Earth,
– how many times the Moon is closer to the Earth than the Sun,
– why the totality of this year’s eclipse lasts only 15 seconds,
– how do you feel when you have never experienced sex, but know about it, have written about it, and then one day experience it…

Anyway, our road among the potholes tumbles further, runs pat the sunset and the shadow games of sunset where especially beautiful photos get created, past the school children crowds in towns who are gathering on Friday nights, in different uniforms for each school, to go home somewhere by bus. We try to take photos of everything on the run since we cannot afford to stop for a minute, we must get to the designed place. However, if also you go to this red chocolate country, stop for a moment to get a good shot, to have a chat with the bypassers and to greet the children which appear around you from nowhere. Because. It is important to stick to the plan, but a minute of feelings won’t crash it most likely. Much more than a good technical organisation is to feel a good mood and to take care about smile in the faces of companions.

But we arrive in Marich Pass field studies centre campsite and are sleeping in a classroom where beds have been brought in with mosquito nets. It’s the first time we sleep under them and it is very romantic and a bit scary as well. Maybe about the unknown.

Tuesday, 29.10.2013
Getting up at 8am. Our hostess has prepared us a nice breakfast with the African tea which was a big favourite yesterday. After breakfast all of us except Rūdolfs leave for the city. Once we are out of the gate, a matatu (Kenyan minibus) is there. The conductor asks us to come, but it doesn’t look like there are enough spaces – I end up squeezed next to Ināra as the 4th person on the 3 seats in the back, Ilva is sitting on my lap and Ilgonis on hers. Thankfully soon enough other passengers leave and by the time we reach the city, we each have our own seat.

We exchange the money to Kenyan shillings in a place close to the matatu station and then start our excursion around the city. Or closest object worth seeing is Jamia mosque. Nice and white, but we cannot see it from inside since one of the several prayers in the day is about to happen. The manager asks us to come back after 2:30pm.

We continue to Uhuru park. I had read in some places that it is nothing exceptional at all, but it turns out to be a rather nice place for a walk. There are several trees, which give at least some shade from the hot sun. Some bushes and trees are blooming in yellow and purple. At a pond it is possible to rent out a rowing boat, but we walk further.

There’s a mausoleum of Jomo Kenyatta – the founding father of Kenya. It is behind a gate, guarded by 2 guards. We are not allowed to take any photos, but otherwise the guards are kind and give us some background of Mr. Kenyatta and the flag of Kenya. The black means the colour of the people, the green – the land and nature, the white – the peace and the red – the blood given for that peace.The coat of arms is in the center.

We pass the parliament where the guard asks us to not take any photos as well, the houses of president and deputies and arrive at Kenyatta international conference centre. It is one of the tallest buildings in Nairobi and we really enjoy the view from the helipad on the top. The entrance fee of 400 shillings is worth it.

Drop in the local pharmacy for a local mosquito repellent spray and then we finally can go to the mosque. Some long wait there since the main guy is still busy with other business and then some more wait till they find out what to do with us as the visitor hours are normally in the morning. There are many prayers happening every day and Fridays are the most important days. The people in the prayer hall surprise us – some pray, but most of them sleep or poke their mobile phones. Ladies in a separate hall have gathered in small groups and chat.

After a small lunch trying out the local ugali, samosas, kebab and soups we go for an equally quick shopping and buy the cheapest good sized pots and pans we can find and that is at least twice as cheap as our car rental company was going to charge us for renting them for 2 weeks. We also get a spare petrol can.

Matatu to home is a bit more expensive. They are asking for 70 shillings/person saying that’s because of the rush hour. Previous day’s rush hour for Anders and Rūdolfs were 60 (as opposite to this day’s morning’s 50), so I argue a bit and pay 60 in the end.

And then the most tiring part of the day starts. I had arranged our cars to be at the house around 7pm, but they don’t appear. When I want to check with the owner whose house we are living in as part of the car deal, he’s out in a meeting and appear only around 11 at which point we move the planned food shopping to the next morning. Then it turns out that Maasai Mara has had some rains and Kapenguri (a town on our route to Lodwar, north from Kitale) is a place where the danger starts and 2 phone calls are necessary to make sure it is fine to let us go up to Marich Pass. I had thought 4WD are enough to go on A-level roads anytime and also on existing roads within animal parks and there was nothing both on contract and terms&conditions saying the cars cannot go somewhere. After much consideration when observing all this I tell him that we are not only going to MarichPass, but all the way up to Lodwar at which point he says that the cars cannot go there. But instead we could get a very strong 9 seater car with a driver. There are many reasons why I don’t like the idea of only 1 car and having a driver with us, so he would try to arrange a car with no driver. Also he’d try to get us a car fridge since the company I was going to rent it from is only renting them out with their cars. After all the discussion which finishes at around 2am, the plan is set to go shopping for food at 7:30am, be back at 8:30am and leave for the trip at 9am.